𝐋𝐔𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐂𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄 | edmund pevensie

chapter twenty-four

‎
- reunited -

Without a second thought, I lunged toward the brunette Pevensie before me, embracing him tightly, and causing him to nearly stumble backward.

His face nestled against my neck, his arms encircling my waist, while mine found their place around his neck.

"Oh, my Aslan," I whispered, pulling back slightly to gaze at him. "Is this real?"

Edmund chuckled softly, tucking a few strands of my hair behind my ear before replying, "It's very much real, darling."

Before I could reply, a loud cough abruptly interrupted our small reunion. I disengaged from Ed, turning around to reveal the blonde Pevensie wearing a smirk.

"Am I not going to receive a hug from my favorite person?" Peter teased.

I chuckled before leaping towards him, enveloping him in a tight embrace.

I pulled away from Peter just as a voice called my name, drawing my attention elsewhere.

"Lucy!" I laughed joyfully, recognizing the voice, before feeling the girl envelop me in a hug.

"I missed you so much!" she said, still hugging me tightly. I laughed, reciprocating the hug and gently swaying us from side to side.

"You've gotten taller now, Lu," I commented as we both pulled away.

"Well, you've also gotten taller now too," a voice said behind me, revealing the girl with striking blue eyes. I laughed again before stepping forward to hug Susan.

My reunion with the Pevensies was abruptly cut short as the eldest exclaimed, "Come on, chaps, we mustn't miss the train."

Following Peter's lead, we gathered our luggage. As we moved towards a corner spot, the two girls and Peter settled on a bench, leaving a space next to Peter.

Edmund and I found ourselves in a gentle disagreement over who should claim the spot. I contended that he should, considering his recent scuffle, yet he remained staunchly insistent that I take the seat.

Our little debate ended with Edmund letting out a huff as he settled beside his brother, casting me a sidelong glance.

"You're welcome," remarked the brunette Pevensie sarcastically.

"I had it sorted," Peter frowned, rising from his seat with his back turned to us.

"You mean Cora sorted it out?" Ed retorted, but Pete chose to ignore him.

I fumbled for a handkerchief in my blazer, hastily stepping in front of Edmund. Gently lifting his head to address the blood on his lip, I was completely absorbed in the task, unaware of the intensity of his lingering gaze fixed upon me.

"What was it this time?" Susan's question caught my attention, causing me to turn towards her.

"'This time?' Don't tell me you're constantly getting into fights, Peter?" I remarked, addressing the blond Pevensie, still half-facing Edmund.

"He was, actually, and I'm always there, attempting to sort it out," Ed commented, wincing as I unintentionally pressed my handkerchief against his lips a bit harder.

"How? By throwing yourself into the fight as well?" I retorted, narrowing my eyes at him, to which he only huffed in response.

The blond Pevensie interjected, "He bumped me," offering his rationale.

"So, you hit him?" Lucy asked.

"No, after he bumped me, they tried to make me apologize. That's when I hit him," Peter clarified, shooting a glance in my direction.

"Cora, you seem to know those guys?" Peter asked, prompting his siblings to turn their gaze towards me. I sighed.

"Nope, but they recognized me. They've always made fun of my hair, calling me a freak," I confirmed.

"I should've given them a harder punch," Ed muttered, a frown etched on his face. Susan interjected.

"Is it that hard to just walk away?" Susan's words seemed to irk Peter slightly.

"I shouldn't have to!" he exclaimed before elaborating, "I mean, don't you ever get tired of being treated like a kid?"

"Um, we are kids" Edmund interjected matter-of-factly.

"Well, I wasn't always. It's been a year," Peter retorted before settling back into his seat. "How long does he expect us to wait?"

"I think it's time to accept that we live here," Susan's statement caught my attention. "It's no use pretending any different."

Standing a bit distant from Edmund now, my arms crossed over my chest, I finished tending to his bloodied lips.

"Did any of you ever experience nightmares after leaving the mansion?" I questioned, but they all shook their heads. Edmund was the one to respond.

"How about you?" he asked, and I nodded.

"It's about Jadis," I mumbled.

There was a moment of silence until Susan broke it.

"Pretend you're talking to me," she said, which left us perplexed.

"We are talking to you," Edmund retorted, earning a stern glare from his sister.

Lucy suddenly yelped, springing up from her seat, and prompting her siblings to hush her.

"Something pinched me!" she exclaimed, leading Peter to rise from his seat too.

"Stop pulling!" he accused his brother.

"I'm not touching you!" Ed defended. Then, I felt a sudden, harsh tug beneath my skirt. Turning to Edmund with a frown, I exclaimed, "Did you just tug my skirt?"

"No, I didn't!" he defended once again, his cheeks slightly flushed.

Susan attempted to soothe the situation, but she, too, felt something that compelled her to rise from her seat, joined by Edmund.

The train ahead, expected to stop, was instead moving at an abnormal pace, whipping up a powerful wind around us.

"It feels like magic," Lucy murmured, gazing at her sister, who proposed that we all hold hands.

"I'm not holding your hand!" Edmund's voice rang out as I stood to his left.

Nonetheless, Peter persisted in clasping his brother's hand, despite Edmund's protests.

Suddenly, I felt someone slip their hand into mine. Glancing down, I discovered the brunette Pevensie's fingers tightly entwined with mine, as if he feared losing me from his sight once more.

Tilting my head upward, I noticed that Edmund was already gazing at me. Offering him a gentle smile, I then glanced around at our surroundings.

The ceilings and walls were being drawn toward the hole where the trains passed by, creating a suction effect.

Everyone around us remained unaffected, seemingly oblivious to the unfolding events, gradually vanishing from our sight as if by magic.

After some time, the train vanished as if by magic, and we found ourselves no longer at a train station.

Before us lay a breathtaking beach, unfolding in the view ahead.